# Thompson Cigar Internet Scam



## PocketWad (Nov 18, 2009)

There's no telling how many thousands of customers have been scammed by this already, but it needs to stop.


A year ago last July I placed an internet order with Thompson Cigar, the oldest mail-order cigar dealer in the country. When the order was complete, a box popped up with an offer for $10 off my next order. Assuming that this offer was a customer incentive from Thompson, I clicked on the box. The box belonged to an internet scam company called Reservation Rewards. Without my knowledge or approval, Thompson gave my credit card information to these criminals, who proceeded to take $12 a month out of our checking account for a “membership”—of which Thompson got a hefty kickback.

This practice was profiled just yesterday on the Today Show and last night on the national news. Thompson Cigar is only one of a number of supposedly reputable companies involved in this. In fact, this particular practice cost the American public an estimated $800 million last year.

To date, Reservation Rewards has taken about $200 out of our account. Thompson has received a big chunk of this, and I have received … nothing.

Apparently it wasn’t enough that I was buying cigars from them. Thompson thought it was acceptable to steal my money as well.

There was a time when we only had to worry about internet hackers getting our credit card information. Now we have to worry about legitimate businesses giving our information to criminals.

I’m fuming about this. Need to go to the bank today to see if I can get Reservation Rewards—and Thompson Cigar—blocked from having access to our bank account.

There are a couple of liquor stores in town that have humidors. They don’t have the selection that Thompson has, but I feel a lot safer giving them my business.



Please share this with any cigar lover you know.



George


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## P_Roberts (Jun 9, 2009)

That sucks, I hope things work out keep us updated and thank you for sharing you experience hopefully you have saved a BOTL from having the same thing happen to him.


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## Twain (Nov 18, 2009)

You are the second person I've heard complain about this. The other guy had given his mastercard and surprisingly had a difficult time getting them to stop the authorization. Good luck. Practices like these need a bright light shined on them...and it sounds like that is starting to happen.


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## Yitlin (Jul 1, 2008)

Could Thompson's reputation sink any lower? I mean seriously...

Sorry to hear about the scam, maybe the credit card co. can reimburse you for the fruadulent activity.


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## Rookee (Aug 5, 2009)

Wow, that is some really really dirty underhanded, backstabbing of your own costumers that i have ever heard of. 
Thompson's will absolutely not be getting any business from me, ever. I really hope you can straighten that mess out, if i were you i wouldn't just leave it at that. Thompson's should refund you all the money that was "stolen" from your account.


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## mc2712 (Mar 14, 2008)

Never bought from Thompson's and Never will. Sorry about what happen to you, hope it works out for you.


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## Magicseven (Oct 17, 2009)

I work for a bank and we see stuff like this all the time.

It's also listed on Hotwire too.

I had a customer ask me what they provided and I told him I was not sure, so he asked for the 800 number which i provided and he asked for my ext just to let me know what they said.

He said after two days of trying to get a hold of someone, nobody could give him a answer of what "Reservation rewrads" actually offers. They just kept saying something vague about helping book reservations at discounted rates, but would give him a link or any info about booking reservations.


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## McCleod (Apr 16, 2008)

I placed an order on October 23; it has been on backorder ever since with the date constantly moving out. The day I placed the order, I received a phone call from someone who said did I notice the "additional 10%" off opportunity on the corner of the page when I ordered?" I said place me on your "do not call list. Do not call me again." I bet it was related to this issue you have brought up. I just called and cancelled the back order.


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## Strick (Aug 21, 2008)

Just another reason I will never order from them. I heard stories about their sales tactics so that's why I never orderd from them to begin with.


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## PocketWad (Nov 18, 2009)

Thanks for your words of support, guys. I joined this forum specifically to shine a bright light on this, as Twain put it.

I've spent the last year in school getting a second bachelor's degree. The program was very stressful, so for our anniversary my wife bought me a humidor and a selection of cigars, thinking it might help to relax me. (I've always been a moderate cigar smoker, but had never owned a humidor.)

The humidor was looking very empty, so I ordered some cigars from Thompson's website. That's when they pulled their scam--"Click here to get $10 off your next order." To make matters worse, a few days later a salesperson called me and I allowed them to talk me into joining their cigar club. What a great customer I was!

My wife takes care of the banking, so I only found out about this when we were watching the Today Show yesterday. My wife said, "Reservation Rewards--I've seen that name on our bank statement." I remembered the name from the original transaction, and I've also received a few e-mails from them, which I never opened. Anyway, I quickly put two and two together and figured out what had happened. When I checked an old e-mail from Reservation Rewards I saw that they were charging us a $12 monthly "membership" fee. Membership to what I'm not sure.

So yesterday morning I got one of Thompson's customer service reps on the phone. I explained the situation to her and told her she needed to revoke my membership to Reservation Rewards. She told me I would have to do that myself--that Reservation Rewards would need my authorization (even though they hadn't needed my authorization to start scooping money out of my account). She attempted to call Reservation Rewards; not surprisingly, no one there would pick up the phone.

When I told the customer service rep that I also wanted to quit Thompson's cigar club she seemed surprised. I told her to have the owner of the company call me and I would discuss it with him, but she said that wouldn't be possible.

So here I am. To date, Thompson Cigar's little internet scam has cost me--one of their steady customers--about $200. Let's see what one guy armed with the truth can cost them.

Thompson has their own channel on YouTube. Lots of videos of some guy named Al sitting in a humidor, dispensing a lot of cigar advice. I have some advice I could dispense as well. I've never put anything on YouTube before, but I might just give it a try.

Thanks again for your support.

George


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## Jack Straw (Nov 20, 2008)

That is awful.

You should just order a new credit/debit card when something like that happens. Then they can't charge you anymore.


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## vu2vu (Oct 31, 2009)

American express is great at solving issues like this. Dispute the charges with your credit card provider. Just tell them you never authorized charges and never provided them with your credit card number. They should reverse charges for you.


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## dajones (May 29, 2009)

Not trying to be an ash-hole, and thanks for the info, but as a devil's advocate, I am required to ask. You state the following:

"A year ago... Without my knowledge or approval, Thompson gave my *credit card information* to[Res Rewards], who proceeded to take $12 a month out of our *checking account* for a "membership"".

Question 1: "Credit or Debit?" My point: how did ResRew get your checking acct info from your CC info?

Question 2: Why did it take a year to notice? When you reviewed your monthly statement, why was your bank or cc company unable to end the charges and recoup your loss?

Your warning is well intentioned and timely -- apparently a number of companies are involved/being hit with this scam (Fandango, Orbitz, Thompson).

Folks: scammers and thieves are everywhere: caveat emptor and "Constant Vigilance!" Sorry for your inconvenience--now, go get 'em!

Here are some articles on the scam (to include the various lawsuits):

Buy.com, Orbitz linked to controversial marketers | Digital Media - CNET News

http://adam.rosi-kessel.org/weblog/2004/12/24/webloyalty_aka_wli_reservations_is_a_scam


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## Flux (Oct 19, 2009)

I'm really sorry to hear about this and I applaud you for speaking out about it. Thompson's is one of the companies that I bought from when I was a newbie and rather ignorant of all the other cigar retailers online. When I discovered CI, Famous, and Holts, I gave up on buying overpriced stuff from Thompsons ... for good. I still get a catalog once in a while and this is almost 5 years after I placed my one and only order there.

I'm with ya on the youtube trolling. Maybe if enough people flood their channel with complaints something may happen. If it doesn't, so be it, at least someone that may not know about their shady business practices will be enlightened.

EDIT: First shot fired. _Hi Al.﻿ Can you possibly make a video detailing your companies shady online billing practices? _


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## PocketWad (Nov 18, 2009)

> Question 1: "Credit or Debit?" My point: how did ResRew get your checking acct info from your CC info?
> 
> Question 2: Why did it take a year to notice? When you reviewed your monthly statement, why was your bank or cc company unable to end the charges and recoup your loss?


Sorry I was not clear on this: I used our debit card (which also functions as a credit card). The money came directly out of our checking account.

As I mentioned, my wife takes care of the checking. I'm not sure what she thought the charge was. She pays almost all of our bills online.

Lots of people don't scrutinize their bank statements, which is why companies like this can get away with what they do. I guess in the age of electronic money we should all be more vigillant.

Yes it is Buyer Beware. However, we should not expect these practices from legitimate companies like Thompson Cigar and FTD Florists.


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## dubels (Jun 21, 2009)

Thanks for the notice. Time to check my credit card account. I don't think I clicked on the link but you never know after hearing about the sketchy business practices of Thompson. I am really tempted to cancel my backorder box of Oliva V Maddies, really not worth it because I doubt they will get enough boxes to send me my order and its going to be harder to get my money back later. Plus the longer they have my money the more chance for them to double charge me and other shaddy crap.

On a side note, if you are constantly getting phone calls from them just tell them you don't have any more money to spend on cigars and that your last purchase was your last splurge of the year and they will stop calling you.


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## PhoenixRising (Oct 27, 2009)

Thanks for the warning.I had contemplated purchasing from them but I wont be now.


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## iairj84 (Aug 29, 2009)

dajones said:


> Not trying to be an ash-hole, and thanks for the info, but as a devil's advocate, I am required to ask. You state the following:
> 
> "A year ago... Without my knowledge or approval, Thompson gave my *credit card information* to[Res Rewards], who proceeded to take $12 a month out of our *checking account* for a "membership"".
> 
> ...


I have to agree with this as well. I realize that you're not the one always paying bills and what not but before you check any little box or anything of the sort you better darn well be sure what you're getting yourself into. I stopped using Thompsons about 3 years ago when they would call my cell phone two or three times after every order to try and upsell me or "Pass along a deal." I hesitate every single time I enter my CC info online due to the very thought that their are bad people out there.

If I remember correctly last time I did purchase something through Thompson's the Reservation rewards thing did come up and it made it pretty clear what you're getting into when signing up. Yes it may have been in finer print than the rest but even so.

Certainly I feel your pain, as a young boy I signed up for one of those CD deals where you get 10 CD's for the price of 2, not knowing that you have to purchase 7 or 8 at double retail price and outrageous shipping. I learned my lesson early to check every little thing and to ask questions.


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## Rev2010 (Sep 3, 2008)

My personal rules for online purchases:

1. Always use a credit card - NOT a bank card. Credit companies are far easier to work with disputing charges. My experience with banks on the other hand is more along the lines of "F--- you too bad, you should be more careful and watch your money better". Seriously, banks really put up a very hard time since the purchases are made with your own real cash in your account. Credit is a loan and the transactions are quite different in process so they treat it much differently.

2. Don't click any of those stupid offer ads

3. If you must click an offer ad make sure you read everything and make sure they have a phone number. Then, call that number and see if you can get a human on the phone!

4. Always closely watch your statements! Even small charges of $2.99 are something to be concerned about if you don't know what it's for.

5. (repeat) Don't click those stupid offer ads! 

I hope everything works out for you though I think the bank is reeeally gonna give you a hard time. Especially since you guys let it go undisputed so long. But best of luck!


Rev.


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## mrmoose411 (Dec 18, 2008)

Another good tactic to use when ordering online is to have an account set up SOLELY for online purchases. For instance, my bank recommended a free checking account, which is kept at $0 till I decide to order something; I transfer the exact amount from the main account to this one when ordering online (transferring between accounts happens instantaneous since it's XXXX account to an XXXX account, thereby avoiding overdraft charges.), and if something goofy like this happens, they can't get at any money, and it's far easier to get through the red tape with the bank. Requires some diligence and a few extra clicks, but the peace of mind is worth it. And I know they're waiting to charge me overdraft fees, but like I said, diligence.


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## Esoteric (Jun 15, 2009)

I had this same thing happen to me with Proflowers... I bought my wife something for her birthday (Feb 11th) and something for Valentines day and I ended up getting that crap charged to my account not once but twice!! My wife and I both noticed it and luckily did not have to pay anything (not for that shady company's lack of trying). Needless to say, I called Proflowers and asked them what it was about and they said I would have to call the other company myself. I did and the lady said that they got the information (card info) from Proflowers and I was charged twice because I made two purchases within a short period of time. That in itself does not make sense because if you make 4 purchases in a couple months, are they going to screw you four times as much? Anyways, I gave them a good verbal beating and decided to call my bank (it was a debit card). The bank surprisingly said it is not uncommon for companies to do that and there isn't much you can do with a debit but cancel the card. The lady told me they couldnt block it from being charged to my debit so the only way to be sure was to cancel it and get another card. I did not cancel, just made sure they did not charge again. I definitely learned my lesson and have been much, much more cautious than ever before.I never clicked on any adverts or anything of the sort, just made the orders. Craziness!!


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## Qball (Oct 5, 2009)

I have stopped doing business with TC after a bad first experience.

Luckily nothing like this, but I may check my statements to besure.

It's a shame retailers have to resort to such crap as this.

K


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## Warren (Apr 6, 2007)

I ran into this via Pro Flowers. Fortunately I noticed it wasn't free shipping as advertised but joining a reward club for $12/month. I didn't sign up and complained to Pro Flowers. They sent me a $10 gift card which I ran through my shredder. The bottom line is we have to stand up and not do business with companies that try to trick us out of our money. Cigars have a nice profit margin even when sold at internet prices. They don't have to resort to these scams to make a buck.


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## Tredegar (Nov 27, 2007)

Thanks for the warning on this. I have never ordered anything from Thompsons cigar and probably never will. I have heard too many horror stories about them to ever want to use them. There are so many ways of people being able to scam your money now that you pretty much have to check every account for unusual activity. I have a couple of other examples of scams that have happened to me.

1. Cramming. A year ago I noticed that my AT&T landline bill was higher than usual. There was a 30 dollar charge on my phone bill for an internet service. I called the phone company asking about these charges. I had never heard of this outfit and called AT&T. The AT&T rep told me that this company was cramming a charge onto my account without authorization. I asked AT&T to stop this charge and said that they could not, that I would have to call the offending company and get them to remove the charges. After a couple of calls I was able to talk to someone from this company and they did stop the charges. I asked them why they used my account and they gave me the name of my wife. 

2. Magazine subscriptions. My wife is sort of a sucker when it comes to fast talking people on the phone. One company in Ohio talked my wife into getting a 5 year magazine subscription plan. She would get 5 subscriptions to a variety of magazines that she could change as she wanted. After a year or so the magazines stopped coming. We didn't notice right away since my wife has another magazine subscription service provider also supplying us with magazines. We finally were able to contact the offending company and asked to stop the service since they were not keeping up their end of the bargain. They told us they would but only if we stayed with them another year. We will see if they keep their word. Hah!

3. Work from home. My stepdaughter, who was unemployed at the time, was offered a 'secret shopper job'. All she had to do was cash a check and Western Union someone this money to test a companies customer service. Sound familiar?? Yep, major scam. The $2100 check was fraudulent and the bank told my stepdaughter that if she did not repay the amount immediately they would prosecute her for fraud. We had to bail her out, the bank told my stepdaughter that they would never do business with her, and I am out 2100 bucks. 

Okay, now that I have probably bored you guys to tears I will shut up.


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## Cigary (Oct 19, 2007)

Jack Straw said:


> That is awful.
> 
> You should just order a new credit/debit card when something like that happens. Then they can't charge you anymore.


Great advice on this. This also happened with me at least a year and half ago with the same sales thing of getting $10 off your next purchase. I bit on it and saw a charge on my account the next month and called Thompsons about it and they acted like they didn't know what it was about. I then called my credit card company ( Capital 1 ) and disputed the charge and they walked me thru the process of cancelling the card and getting a new account number because they saw that this would be a reocurring charge.

Always check your statements and never, ever trust Thompsons for any of their programs they have going. It was the same with their program for cigars every month that they tried to get me on when I first did business with them years ago. They are a corrupt company that does a bait and switch as slick as any business I have seen out there. If you want to just buy cigars from them that is your business but to get in on their "deals" you will pay the price in terms of time spent getting out of their "deals" and constant bothering they give you when on their mailing list.


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## CPJim (Jan 20, 2008)

Thanks for the heads up. People need to know that Thompson's is a shady business. There are much better competitors out there.


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## roughrider (Feb 25, 2008)

Thompson has proven again and again why they suck. Deal only with legit & honest companies like Famous and CI.


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## 226 (Nov 16, 2009)

After a bad experience that I had a few years ago I will certainly never order from them. After ordering a sampler and many missed sales calls I finally answered one of their calls they offered a free humidor for signing up with a monthly club. They made it sound like it was just an email newsletter and assured me that signing up wouldn't initiate any purchase that would result in a charge. It turned out to be a cigar of the month club and a few weeks later I was surprised to get a shipment of some 5 pack that they wanted $60 for. Luckily the CC that I used previously had just expired so they were unable to charge me so I waited a month and made them send me a pre-paid shipping envelope before I sent it back.


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## thebayratt (Jun 4, 2009)

Jack Straw said:


> That is awful.
> 
> You should just order a new credit/debit card when something like that happens. Then they can't charge you anymore.


+1 
I agree! It may cost you a few bucks for a replacement card; but cheaper than $200 i garuntee.


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## MrMayorga (Feb 14, 2008)

I use to buy from those idiots and yes I got conned into their 250 club. After about a year I started to notice they were shaving points from my club account. I questioned this a few times and they told me that my accounting was wrong. I quit the club with points still on it and haven't looked back. I still occasionally (even after 4 years) get a letter begging me to rejoin the club and that I only need another 35 points to get my lousy 10% off. *TAKE A HIKE THOMPSONS!!!*

We had another scam through Verizon. Somebody must have used my sons phone to text vote for something (like American Idol). For the next couple of months we were hit up for a $10.00 charge added on to our bill. Luckily the Verizon's customer service erased one months charge and put a block on our account to stop this from ever happening again.


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## JuJuMan16 (Apr 6, 2009)

Thanks for the heads up. I don't really like the prices that Thompson has so i usually get my stuff from CI when i order online. I work for a bank, and when you speak to the department that handles fraud, its amazing the things people come up with to screw others.


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## Rev2010 (Sep 3, 2008)

Tredegar said:


> All she had to do was cash a check and Western Union someone this money to test a companies customer service. Sound familiar?? Yep, major scam. The $2100 check was fraudulent and the bank told my stepdaughter that if she did not repay the amount immediately they would prosecute her for fraud. We had to bail her out, the bank told my stepdaughter that they would never do business with her, and I am out 2100 bucks


You serious? She actually went through with that scam? She cashed a cashiers check and sent $2100 to someone? I mean... how oh how didn't the alarm bells go off on that one?

I had one of these one time where I was selling a $1000+ synthesizer on EBay and got an e-mail from someone in France saying they want to buy it. They were totally willing to pay for the shipping and all that but could only mail a check. I laughingly said ok, mail it here and gave him my work address. I got the bogus cashiers check and laughed at how obviously phony it was, not to mention I was already aware of these schemes. He tried e-mailing me and I just responded, "Nice try douche bag". Never got another e-mail from the scammer.

Rev.


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## mlbar1153 (Mar 4, 2009)

roughrider said:


> Thompson has proven again and again why they suck. Deal only with legit & honest companies like Famous and CI.


+1, This is what I do. Will never shop with Thompson.


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## Cigary (Oct 19, 2007)

Rev2010 said:


> You serious? She actually went through with that scam? She cashed a cashiers check and sent $2100 to someone? I mean... how oh how didn't the alarm bells go off on that one?
> 
> I had one of these one time where I was selling a $1000+ synthesizer on EBay and got an e-mail from someone in France saying they want to buy it. They were totally willing to pay for the shipping and all that but could only mail a check. I laughingly said ok, mail it here and gave him my work address. I got the bogus cashiers check and laughed at how obviously phony it was, not to mention I was already aware of these schemes. He tried e-mailing me and I just responded, "Nice try douche bag". Never got another e-mail from the scammer.
> 
> Rev.


These scammers throw out a huge net and all it takes is a few for them to get a nice payday! For most of us who have seen what happens to innocents it's not pretty and they learn a very hard lesson. I have seen some pretty elaborate scams out there and for those people who aren't adept enough to see thru them the scammers use greed to get people to commit to their scams. I remember having one person try a scam for a room we were going to rent out,,,this person writes us back and wants to send the $3000 check for us to cash and then send $1500 back to them just so that we'd hold the room. I wrote her back and said we already cashed the check at one of those places in the city where they take 10% of the check to cash ( of course I was fibbing ) and the girl got flustered that she then told me she wanted her money back and that I could keep $100 of it for my troubles. I told her to forget it and that if she wanted to see her money she'd have to meet me at a particular address ( which was going to be an undercover sting ) but she never wrote back again. Damn scammers!!


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## zitro_joe (Oct 6, 2008)

I was looking up some illusione and (not paying attention) clicked on the link to thompsons....
Well, that 10% discount box pops up. First thing...wow.


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## BTcigars (Jun 30, 2009)

Man, sorry to hear that. I hope you get things straightened up. Also, I've only made one purchase from Thompson and in the sampler I ordered was a Padron 2000 maduro. The cigar tasted like cod! Seriously! After that I swore off Thompson.


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## smokinonthe13th (Nov 19, 2009)

Just saw this forum as it was posted out on Twitter. Reservation Rewards nailed me as well through US Airways. I finally figured this out this past summer after the had siphoned nearly $100 from my credit card on file. Like most of you - I called RR and began a verbal assault for the ages. For whatever reason - the agent caved and not only stopped the charges but agreed to refund the charges that they had gaffled from my credit card. Not sure what the magic words were but applied enough pressure that they probably figured it was worth their 100 bucks to get this lunatic off the phone.

As some of you mentioned - I saw a story on this last night on NBC Nightly News - these companies must be shut down.


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## BengalMan (Aug 13, 2007)

I got hit by RR as well. I don't know which of the above company it was from, but luckily it was on my AmEx and they put a stop to the charges after I found the charges the second month I've ordered from US Air, ProFlowers, and a few other places listed (not Thompsons though, I was warned about them years ago when I first got big into cigars). AmEx had no problem stopping the charges and refunding my money and filing a scam claim. Said they've heard about it plenty.


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## Dread (Oct 16, 2009)

I placed one order from Thompson for a humidor before I knew where else to buy, got the product in good shape. But received phone calls for weeks from Thompson from people that didnt speak english too well. I will never order again from them just after that BS, and this thread only reinforces that feeling.

CI and Famous are the way to go


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## El Smokey Bearo (Jun 8, 2009)

Just saw this online: Senate looks at 'shocking' online marketing techniques - CNN.com


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## chas1957 (Oct 8, 2009)

Thanks for the warning..they are definitely on my "do not buy from list" now.


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## Charlton (Oct 8, 2009)

Support your local shops. Screw the internet buying. I am not fond of Cigar International or Thompson. I enjoy going to the store and picking out cigars and boxes and supporting the local economy. **** the internet for buying support local.


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## Rev2010 (Sep 3, 2008)

Charlton said:


> Support your local shops. Screw the internet buying. I am not fond of Cigar International or Thompson. I enjoy going to the store and picking out cigars and boxes and supporting the local economy. **** the internet for buying support local.


:juggle: Reeeeally!? Well I prefer not paying 3x the price a stick! I prefer being able to get every cigar I want (and in whatever vitola) all in one in order. I prefer NOT having to pay exorbitant local taxes ON TOP of the 3x price market. I prefer not feeling raped every time I buy 4-5 cigars!

I also prefer people not lamenting to me how I should or should not spend my hard earned cash :thumb:

Rev.


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## Cigary (Oct 19, 2007)

Without getting into the Online vs B&M debate I think there is room for both. Everyone has their preference as to where they want to shop and we all have our loyalties somewhere. Online is not nor should it be a taboo place to get our deals and neither should B&M's have to take a back seat. What to do? We can do both and I do. When I go to a B&M I buy the cigars I want and smoke them there and whatever the price is I pay because I am being given the right to smoke in a nice environment so the tax or extra doesn't bother me. However, I don't like being price gouged either because I know what cigars cost. If I think the price is too high in a B&M,,,guess what? I don't buy it but I'm not going to make a stink about it. If they want my business I guess they will have to earn it just like every other place I do business with. Let's not make this more than it is,,,,B&M, Online, etc,,,we shop and spend our money where we want,,,period, end of statement.


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## dennis569 (Jan 16, 2007)

Cigary,
Right On!
I placed one order with Thompson years ago and had no problems. Just lucky I guess.
There are so many good online dealers that it's just not worth taking a chance on
the shady ones. I'd like to add Taboo to the list of really top notch dealers.


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## scottwpreston (Oct 11, 2009)

I have ordered from Thompson many times. I have joined their "Club" and received an immediate 10% refund. I only buy from them when they they have the best price, they deliver, I like them.
They did call me several times after my first order and I requested NO MORE CALLS and they did not call again. I have saved a bunch, be smart, check prices, don't agree to ANY POP-UP's
come on guy's, be smart click on agree...? LOOK/READ/READ...
I have found them very good


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## Cigary (Oct 19, 2007)

Lol Scott,,,,,we won't gang up on you as there is always a learning curve when it comes to places. If you like them I say support em with all you got and I'm sure they will take care of you. ( insert empty pocket photo here )


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## texas fish (Oct 26, 2009)

I have used Tompsons many times never had a problem with them.my son in law has used them for many years and never had a problem.I guess you have to watch what your doing when ordering on line. most local shops prices are high thats how they make there money but i do like to walk in and smell all them cigars :ask:


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## mrsmitty (Jan 22, 2009)

I've ordered from them before with no issues. And I wouldn't stop until whatever needed to be done was done to make this right.

Regardless of your opinions on Thompson I do think they have some fantastic deals. Where can you get 20 RP Decade Toros for $80? Even CI is $120 on the for 4 $30 5 pack deal. There are plenty of deals on there, but like any place you haft to compare prices.

But honestly after hearing this I am a bit weary on giving them my business again. Is the good deal worth the possible trouble? IDK....


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## jessejava187 (Aug 25, 2009)

mrsmitty said:


> I've ordered from them before with no issues. And I wouldn't stop until whatever needed to be done was done to make this right.
> 
> Regardless of your opinions on Thompson I do think they have some fantastic deals. Where can you get 20 RP Decade Toros for $80? Even CI is $120 on the for 4 $30 5 pack deal. There are plenty of deals on there, but like any place you haft to compare prices.
> 
> But honestly after hearing this I am a bit weary on giving them my business again. Is the good deal worth the possible trouble? IDK....


 I feel the same, I get boxes from them once every mth or so as a member of the club, Ive had no issues, one time they did auth my card a few days before i wanted them too and i got a couple overdafts but they were helpful in helping my bank see it was not a charge and my bank did reversed them. But this seems pretty Bad, so i watch their every move but i want me rebate after im at 250 sticks.


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## gator_79 (Sep 16, 2009)

Cigary said:


> Without getting into the Online vs B&M debate I think there is room for both. Everyone has their preference as to where they want to shop and we all have our loyalties somewhere. Online is not nor should it be a taboo place to get our deals and neither should B&M's have to take a back seat. What to do? We can do both and I do. When I go to a B&M I buy the cigars I want and smoke them there and whatever the price is I pay because I am being given the right to smoke in a nice environment so the tax or extra doesn't bother me. However, I don't like being price gouged either because I know what cigars cost. If I think the price is too high in a B&M,,,guess what? I don't buy it but I'm not going to make a stink about it. If they want my business I guess they will have to earn it just like every other place I do business with. Let's not make this more than it is,,,,B&M, Online, etc,,,we shop and spend our money where we want,,,period, end of statement.


I agree with Gary on this one. I like to go the my local B&M to pick up a stick to enjoy there usually with friends. Sometimes I even pick up a few extras if it's something I want and the price aint to bad. For larger purchases, say 3 or 4 5 packs I turn to the internet. When I return home I going to look for a Padron 80th to celebrate.


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## smelvis (Sep 7, 2009)

Thanks for the heads up I years ago also had an issue, took a letter from my attorney to get them to refund my money.

My other incident about debit cards, not related to cigars so stop reading now if you want.

I was in Costa Rica and kept extending my stay I just didn't want to come home, I take all cash and just lock it in my hotel safe and carry what I need for that day. Muggings are prevalent.

Long story short I finally ran out of cash and hit the ATM machines in front of the INS bldg. I tried to get 400 and it said transaction canceled but no paper receipt, There was three machines and between two cards I tried three times to get 400 out. I got the same transaction canceled three times using two cards after entering my pin number.

I was suspicious and went back to the hotel and checked my account online, everything was fine. then several days later all three appeared as cash dispensed and with the exchange rate I was out 1250 plus change. I immediately called the bank and they started an investigation and returned the money as a good customer in standing.

I went home after 27 day's to find the money gone again with a letter saying there was nothing they could do as the bank said the transaction happened. Now I will drastically shorten the story because it is very very long.

I wrote complaints for a year to everyone from the comptroller of the currency to the BBB and found out visa international is not the same as visa, in a nutshell if the merchant in this case the BOCR said the money was dispensed so end of story, that's all they have to do and we have no legal recourse. None Nada Zilch!

Of Course I didn't give up I was pissed, I kept writting letter after letter, I think the ones that helped was I searched and found the board of directors names and address's for US Bank and wrote each and evertone on a weekly basis. even after I got the sorry letter I kept going.

They gave me the money because I was such a pain in the ass it was cheaper than spending all the time I was causeing them to spend. They were also tired of answering questions from all the consumer agengcies and the Comp troller was a big one as well as they regulate them. But it took me a year to make it happen!

I then promptly took all my money out and changed banks, they were suprised WTF. so I got it all back except about 80 bucks in certified mail fee's.

We are cattle to these corporations people don't ever think we are not.

Sorry to go off topic but that's one of my many I won but lost in raising my gray hair count stories. LOL


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## PocketWad (Nov 18, 2009)

For the record, I had no trouble with Thompson's product or prices. Also, when I received a shipment from them it always included a return UPS label in case I wanted to send it back.

But I'm scratching my head about those of you who say you do business with Thompson but scrutinize your bank statements to make sure they haven't pulled anything underhanded.

Are these people you really want to do business with...?

I once had a very small internet company--basically a website on which I sold instructional DVDs and books to a very small market. It was nothing elaborate. It did not even have an online shopping cart, but I could take credit card information. Frankly, if a company such as Reservation Rewards had approached me about a partnership, I would have been appalled. That the people at Thompson Cigar were not appalled--that they thought it was a good idea to partner with these criminals--says a lot about their character.

Even if you've had no problems with them to date, are these the kind of people you really want to do business with...?


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## Shabalula (Feb 24, 2007)

All I can say is "Wow". I got lucky, as Thompsons was the first place I looked when exploring the world of online cigar retailers.  Luckily I didn't buy from them and continued looking and found Famous, and then CI.


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## Fingers (Jun 22, 2010)

Thompson cigars gave out my charge card information to Passport to Fun Plus and Passport 2 Fun Plus. I got charge $14.95 on two different charge cards, two months in a row, if I didn’t call the bank to put a stop on my charge card I would be still paying that charge today.
I call passport to fun plus and was told that Thompson cigar sign me up for the service.


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## Breakaway500 (May 7, 2010)

Just filed my Thompson catalog.....


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## eyesack (Jul 19, 2009)

Wtf. I'm sorry this happened man. Never gonna buy from Thompson ever.


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## Cigary (Oct 19, 2007)

Fingers said:


> Thompson cigars gave out my charge card information to Passport to Fun Plus and Passport 2 Fun Plus. I got charge $14.95 on two different charge cards, two months in a row, if I didn't call the bank to put a stop on my charge card I would be still paying that charge today.
> I call passport to fun plus and was told that Thompson cigar sign me up for the service.


I've heard of this before and they did this to me when I did business with them many years ago. It's not right but they have their little disclosures that nobody reads when you do business with them...it's in their policy on page 5 in the tiniest of letters that nobody ever reads. Thompsons is shady...they are underhanded at best and they thrive on taking advantage of first time buyers. Conversely, at times they do put out their "ticklers" to get business and if you have a Credit Card that protects you from their underhanded ways of doing business I say get your cigars and run like hell after...and do not give them your phone number.

Fingers...since this is your first post why not do an intro and let everybody know who you are and read up on what all newbies need to know about the place?


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## Slow Burn (Dec 18, 2006)

I have purchased from Thompsons before and still do from time to time as I like the fact that if you spend more than $100 they break it up into 3 payments for you. 

I have seen the RR pop-ups but also read the fine print about how they charge you monthly for the subscription. 

Its always important to read the fine print before signing up for anything.

I work for a cell phone company and we get people all the time that come in upset about premium text message charges on their cell phone bill. 

There are 3 ways a premium text message can happen, commercials prevalent on MTV to text this to this 5 or6 digit number to get these ringtones. (What people don't read on the fine print on the bottom is that this signs them up for a $9.95 per month charge for ringtones). This is prevalent on facebook too with all the games on there where it says put in your cell phone number to get more coins or points to play the game. (Again in the fine print it states that you are signing up for a $10 a month subscriptio.

The final way is thinks like KGB that you see on tv. Its only $0.99 per text but it adds up fast. Again have to read the fine print. Also game shows on tv like deal or no deal where you can win $10000 but you have to text which case the money is in. Again in fine print $0.99 per text or you can do the same thing on line for free.

Unfortunately most of the time we can't do anything about these charges as even though they show up on the bill the money goes directly to the company that charges the fee.

Bottom line is regardless of who you deal with always read the fine print before you agree to anything. The fine print will always get ya.


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## tobacmon (May 17, 2007)

I would never deal with Thompson--I do need to let a friend that does buy from them---know about this ....Thanks for the heads up!


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## CraigJS (Dec 23, 2009)

Did I miss something here? Why did everyone wait untill multiple charges were put on your cards before you contacted the CC company and put a hold on future charges?


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## d32 (Jan 26, 2010)

sorry to hear about that. They will never get an order from me now i can tell you that!

if you have a Bank of america cc they offer an awesome service called shop safe. You enter an authorized amount and they give you a unique cc number specifically for that transaction. I order allot of stuff online, and even though it can be a bit of a pain to log in everytime, its a guaranteed safety net i use it every time and love it. Purchases show up seamlessly on your regular account as normal for tracking.


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## ke4mcl (Jun 17, 2010)

im glad this was posted. thats a very shady practice. i cant help but play devils advocate as well though and ask why some of the victims didnt catch on to this earlier. the other question is why didnt they report this as fraud to their credit card company? if you didnt order something and the vendor cant provide proof that you ordered it then its as good as fraud.

i watch my bank accounts on a daily basis. anything out of place and im on the phone.

needless to say i will NOT be ordering anything from thompsons. i have cuban crafters within a 10 minute drive from my house. i have no need.


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## BigDaddyBry (Jun 13, 2010)

d32 said:


> sorry to hear about that. They will never get an order from me now i can tell you that!
> 
> if you have a Bank of america cc they offer an awesome service called shop safe. You enter an authorized amount and they give you a unique cc number specifically for that transaction. I order allot of stuff online, and even though it can be a bit of a pain to log in everytime, its a guaranteed safety net i use it every time and love it. Purchases show up seamlessly on your regular account as normal for tracking.


Bravo!! I work for BOA. No one using that shopsafe feature has ever had a problem. BUt even if you don't use it the key thing is to check your accounts...OFTEN!!! I check mine every morning to see what's posted the night before. Banks love when customers report fraudulent/un-authorized activity early, so check those accounts more often as most banks consider a statement officially settled after 60 days.


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## Cigary (Oct 19, 2007)

Slow Burn said:


> I have purchased from Thompsons before and still do from time to time as I like the fact that if you spend more than $100 they break it up into 3 payments for you.
> 
> *This is done to increase sales...just like QVC or HSN break up payments and I'm all for this.*
> 
> ...


*My idea is when I see a policy that is not straightforward enough to be put on page one and goes more than 1 page I wouldnt spend a dime there and Thompsons is one shady business. There isn't enough room for what should be written about a business that tries to trick people into buying more than what they ordered and then to turn around and sell that information to other companies to take advantage of them again. *


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## EricF (May 25, 2010)

After reading this, Thompson will never be on my radar. Not like they were before. And i will definately pay more attention to my bank account for sure. 

Friggin' scam artists:bitchslap:


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## Slow Burn (Dec 18, 2006)

I agree that things are not right with this. I was not justifying it just saying that unfortunately that is how society is today. 

When I lived in Houston I ordered the Comcast triple play through the cable company which included VOIP phone service. Before I could even give anyone the number I was recieving calls from telemarketers asking for my wife and I by name. 

I'm sure that it was in the fine print with Comcast that I consented to them selling my information to 3rd party companies. 

I totally think things like premium text messages are wrong. I wish they didn't exist. My job was much easier before they came about. I worked with a lot less ticked off people.

Its sad that this has come to this but unfortunately it has and you have to be carefull in anything that you do now a days.

Just like the drawing box for the free cars in the mall. You fill out a card and you will be hounded the rest of your life by someone trying to sell you a timeshare.


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## jessejava187 (Aug 25, 2009)

Ok 1 thing bugs me about this thread is that the 2 guys on here that said this happened to them have a combined 5 posts all in this thread, yes i do buy some boxes from thompsons and have had no issue like this and hope I dont, But who is posting these, both cases no intro post and all they have posted is in this threads, Im just saying let some one I know say this is happening before i make a move. So ask your self this would I stop buying from hreatfelt or C bid because some one with 0 posts said they did that? I know thompson phone calls are crazy and I know their humi and such suck, But do we really know they steal from us, They have had my CC number for over a year and nothing weird had happend.


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## smelvis (Sep 7, 2009)

Shit Biggie I've had your cc for a bit of time and nothing has happened yet :biglaugh: YET :biglaugh:

I did have to close an account to stop them from shipping to keep on topic. That was many many moons ago.


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## lukesparksoff (Apr 21, 2010)

I haven't had a problem with them either,I'm in the 250 club for almost 3 yrs now,Ha that sound funny because I buy boxes and boxes of cigars and I haven't reached 250 cigars yet.Thats because thompson is way to high ,almost criminal.


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## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

jessejava187 said:


> Ok 1 thing bugs me about this thread is that the 2 guys on here that said this happened to them have a combined 5 posts all in this thread, yes i do buy some boxes from thompsons and have had no issue like this and hope I dont, But who is posting these, both cases no intro post and all they have posted is in this threads, Im just saying let some one I know say this is happening before i make a move. *So ask your self this would I stop buying from hreatfelt or C bid because some one with 0 posts said they did that?* I know thompson phone calls are crazy and I know their humi and such suck, But do we really know they steal from us, They have had my CC number for over a year and nothing weird had happend.


Not a chance in hell.
I'm sure many here deal with Thompsons just fine. If you dont like the way people do business dont deal with them. Simple as that. The net is a very easy place to hang crap on a company with little or no recourse. Most members here will take these threads under advisement and shop appropriately. I have used this forum and another only once to address an issue, as many would know it involved 3K and an awful lot of time.

Posting threads like these should be an ABSOLUTE last recourse.

Well said Jesse.:clap2:


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

Cigary said:


> *My idea is when I see a policy that is not straightforward enough to be put on page on and goes more than 1 page I wouldnt spend a dime there and Thompsons is one shady business. There isn't enough room for what should be written about a business that tries to trick people into buying more than what they ordered and then to turn around and sell that information to other companies to take advantage of them again. *


Well said i have never bought nor ever will by from them. On many a forum the use of there name is prohibited. Sort of an unwritten rule. Most who by from them are newbies that are attracted to their blinking lights. Like a moth to a flame, few i have met have ordered a second time.ainkiller:


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## ongreystreet (Nov 3, 2008)

The complainers have low posts, but people are quick to sign up for forums and boards when they think something is important.

I've only dealt with Thompson's once, and it was thru my wife. She did a ton of research, includng getting a puff account to read reviews and contacting a friend of mine who is a manger at the local B&M. She ended up spending over $100 for a humidor from Thompson's that had particle board shelves lined to very very thin Spanish cedar veneer and cherry wood paper veneer on the sides. No reputable place would sell something like this, let alone for $100. I found a better humidor for the same price at CI, lower at Cheap Humidors, and even lower on CBID.


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## Dave.73 (Mar 25, 2010)

That's crazy that they can do something like that. I hope you get this all straightened out and thanks for the info. I won't be utilizing their services ever.


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## AldoRaine (Jan 17, 2010)

Nice post.

I saw this when I recently made a purchase at Thompson and by sheer luck declined it.

Again, thanks for sharing this with us. Hopefully you will get your money back, and no one else will be scammed.


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## Cigary (Oct 19, 2007)

Thompson is an easy target no doubt about it and for those who have dealt with them and like them and will use them again it's a matter of choice as to where they spend their money. It's a shame that some have had to deal with unscrupulous business practices which they employ and for those who never had to deal with it you are fortunate and probably just bought cigars and that was that. It is and was the Thompson cigar programs that they screwed over customers...customers thought they were buying one thing and found out it was a "train" of other deals and sold their information to other businesses...or they just kept sending out the program "deal" when it was in fact cancelled. 

Yes, Thompsons is an easy target but they painted that target themselves and keep it there with how they do business. All they have to do is sell their product like other honest business...why is that so friggin difficult? ( that is just a rhetorical question..I already know why )


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## jsnake (Oct 6, 2009)

I can understand many of the various points of view and experiences from everyone here. I do not like people that sign up on a forum to slam someone or a business. Someone needs to have some credibility for me to listen and I find the low post count suspicious especially since it is all in the same thread.

That said I have ordered twice from Thompson and both experiences were horrible. Their customer service was the worst I have ever dealt with and the telemarketing calls were daily. I ended up canceling my account and telling them to purge all of my information. 

I am willing to give someone the benefit but they are 0-2 in my book and after the last ordeal that took about 3 weeks to resolve after being jerked around I don't think I will give them another chance. I will say after that 3 weeks they did finally come through and satisfactorily rectify the situation but that was only because I was persistent on them stepping up and doing the right thing.


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## Shaz (Oct 10, 2008)

I've seen this same thing on Ticketmaster site. At least here in Canada. After purchasing your ticket you're taken to a web page that offers you $10 off your next purchase. It looks like it's Ticketmaster that's offering this, but it's not. Even after reading this post, I actually clicked on the link, but didn't agree to anything once I realized what was going on. I checked my CC statements very carefully for a few months after that, just to make sure.
To me, I'm glad of this post just to make me aware of this dispicable practice. 
As for why it took some 2 or more statements to catch on. The low $ amount of $10 or so is designed so that it has a very good chance of flying under many peoples radar. For those of us who use our cards for business, have more than one person on the account, or just charge a lot, a small amount like this can go unnoticed for quite a while.
I don't know too much about Thompsons, but sounds like there's a bit of a sleaziness to them. Ticketmaster is not my favorite organization either and it makes sense to me that a company that scalps it's own tickets would do something like this.


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## jessejava187 (Aug 25, 2009)

By no means am I saying sticking up for them, Im just seen folks in this thread saying they wont buy from them due to this CC give out scam, that no one on here with a post outside of this thread has said its happened to them, I dont think thats right, sure bad service they have, But we are saying they steal from the BOTLs, and dont see anyone with any time here saying that happend. I just dont think we should be burning them to the ground on something that seems pretty fishy to me.


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## Cigary (Oct 19, 2007)

Just to set the record straight here Jesse...I have talked with others who have a lot of clout and are on other forums and have been taken advantage of by Thompsons. I actually stated this on the first page of this thread and there was another thread on the same subject matter:
http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/v...69793-anyone-belong-thompsons-cigar-club.html and I'm sure there are more posts as well. Here's the thing...those who have had bad deals with Thompsons are going to speak out so they can warn others and if after reading the warning people still want to do business with them what else can be done? Food for thought and a word to the wise is sufficient and at some point those who want to do business with this place can do so at their peril and if they don't get taken advantage of I certainly hope so. Would it be better not to warn others about what they have done or should we just zip it and let others get taken advantage? While I try and keep unsuspecting BOTL from getting "taken" it seems there are enough cheerleaders out there who support Thompsons and see no reason not to support them. I think I probably will be the smarter person and just watch and read posts instead of giving out warnings and stroke my goatee and just go......hmmmmmmmm.

Don't think I'm going to talk ill about this business anymore as its like pissing in the wind sometimes....when you think you are doing something that merits service for others is often confused as causing problems.


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## jessejava187 (Aug 25, 2009)

Cigary said:


> Just to set the record straight here Jesse...I have talked with others who have a lot of clout and are on other forums and have been taken advantage of by Thompsons. I actually stated this on the first page of this thread and there was another thread on the same subject matter:
> http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/v...69793-anyone-belong-thompsons-cigar-club.html and I'm sure there are more posts as well. Here's the thing...those who have had bad deals with Thompsons are going to speak out so they can warn others and if after reading the warning people still want to do business with them what else can be done? Food for thought and a word to the wise is sufficient and at some point those who want to do business with this place can do so at their peril and if they don't get taken advantage of I certainly hope so. Would it be better not to warn others about what they have done or should we just zip it and let others get taken advantage? While I try and keep unsuspecting BOTL from getting "taken" it seems there are enough cheerleaders out there who support Thompsons and see no reason not to support them. I think I probably will be the smarter person and just watch and read posts instead of giving out warnings and stroke my goatee and just go......hmmmmmmmm.
> 
> Don't think I'm going to talk ill about this business anymore as its like pissing in the wind sometimes....when you think you are doing something that merits service for others is often confused as causing problems.


 Gary i just saw the post were you said they did the same thing to you, I didnt see it before, EGG on my face


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## Fingers (Jun 22, 2010)

Gary thanks, I will put a intro together as soon as I get back from my trip is week.


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## Ron1369 (May 5, 2009)

When I first started buying cigars I was buying from Thompson all the time, as a matter of fact I even joined the cigar club. But as time went on and I started to find other stores with better deals and better cigars I decided to quit the cigar club, what a hassle that was. I thought I was going to have to buy my way out of it with all the BS they tried to give me for wanting to quit them.
After quitting the cigar club I still would buy stuff from their auction part of the site but after a while I was having problems with my CC, someone was trying to use my card to buy stuff from other sites, I had to change my card number 5 times in one year and I couldn't figure out how my new number was being found each time I got it, but then I realized that it had to do with buying things from their web site. 
Every time I would buy something with my card the next month I would get a call from my CC company saying someone tried to buy something with my card at the same site each time it was being used, and the last time I had someone try to open up a online bank account using my CC number.
Well after that I realized that there was only one way that my number was being received and that was because I was buying things off of the Thompson web site, now I am not accusing them of illegal activities because that would be slanderous, I am only saying that it seems awful coincidental that each time I bought something from them that my CC number would be used by an individual other than myself to try and buy something on the internet. 
Now that I stopped buying from them I have not had that problem again and it has been almost 6 months now without a problem. So you do the math and figure that out for yourselves. 
Not to mention my cigars are not tasting like moldy sticks since I buy them from other sites now.

:smoke::smoke::smoke::smoke::smoke::smoke::smoke:


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## veteranvmb (Aug 6, 2009)

The secret with Thompson is never give them your real phone number. I never give a cigar vendor my real phone number. They have my (internet email, I use for cigar transactions) email addy, and thats all enough. Never a problem. 

Jerry


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## saniabaker425 (Oct 13, 2015)

Hey, don't worry you can also try Online cigar store, Mike's Cigars. They have a variety of brands and great deals and coupons online and I'm purchasing from them since 2010.


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## quazy50 (Aug 6, 2007)

Woah... Must be Halloween with this zombie thread. :vs_shocked::vs_smirk:


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## MkVrgs (Oct 4, 2015)

That's shitty to hear. I appreciate you putting this out as I was looking at ordering from them in the near future.


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## Negatron (Jul 3, 2015)

quazy50 said:


> Woah... Must be Halloween with this zombie thread. :vs_shocked::vs_smirk:


I like to think of it as bringing back the classics...

Bonus points if you're smoking a cigar you bought from thompson in 2010


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## Shemp75 (May 26, 2012)

MkVrgs said:


> That's shitty to hear. I appreciate you putting this out as I was looking at ordering from them in the near future.


if you paid attention to the "new" threads you would know thats not a bright idea.


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## Jade Falcon (Jul 16, 2015)

The ONLY time I ever use Thompson's website is when I'm trying to find info about a cigar (flavor, sizes, types, etc). Call it being too lazy to look for other sites. And now that I know about their shady scams, thankfully, I'll NEVER buy from them as long as I live.


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## NormH3 (Apr 20, 2015)

This occurred 5 years ago. Is it still happening?


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## Champagne InHand (Sep 14, 2015)

I have used Thimpson online dozens of times. Their 5er combo offers are very good. They don't always have things as the good stuff gets back order but they give a realistic date that they expect the cigars in by. 

This is a zombie thread and Thompson is one of the largest and oldest suppliers. Again the only issues I have had are back orders on things from Alec Bradley. I just received a package this weekend my neighbor brought in and Crowned Head Headley Grange, La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor and CAO Brazilia were in it. 

With ordering 4+ 5 packs the prices drop to just $21. Shipping is free and they give me a military discount when I have bought others not in 5er sales. Boxes at 20% off a decent price. If any other complaint besides back orders it would be that shipping takes a bit longer to get to NY and no Boveda but with these prices, like with cigar page I don't expect that. They come in a ziplocked bag. 

I'm wondering why bringing up a 5 year old thread to bash somebody is happening. Don't join cigar clubs. Period. Minimal info like a gmail phone number is a good idea for most online retailers. 

I don't think s scam situation is in play. Hijacking with pop-ups usually comes from malware you might have accidentally acquired elsewhere. 

I had this happen last week but luckily I just upgraded to El Capatan and ran a scan of the computer with Avast and put up the new fire wall. 2 malware removed. Be sure to have firewalls up always. With Yosemite the default was down. I wasn't a fan of Yosemite operating system period. Mavericks was good. El Capatan seems better and faster. 

Lists of baddies trying to get at your info on all internet sites. I don't think it's Thompson. Any ____ good of the month club rarely is a good deal. Mostly junk.


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## Bizumpy (Nov 14, 2014)

I've ordered from Thompson a few times and never had an issue. But I'd never think to join a "club" that takes money out of one's bank account automatically each month. I click No on "offers" like that without even considering them.


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## Champagne InHand (Sep 14, 2015)

Me neither.

But speaking of Thompson. Two boxes showed up today with my back ordered cigars as per their stated schedule.

Alec Bradley Black Market and Oliva Serie V Sungrown torpedoes.







,






,

There were also some over the weekend that showed. I put them away but did get some singles out for a picture. All were 5 packs. 








All are resting nicely in wood humidors now.

What shall we have? An '82 Margaux! Is it any good? Good....?, It will make you believe in God!


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## pflau (Apr 22, 2015)

I order from Thompson all the time. Hack I only order from Thompson, as nobody has yet to convince me a better vendor with a more user friendly website. About the _only_ complaint I have about Thompson, and let this be a warning, is that you cannot cancel your order on line. I guess it is because their promo changes everyday and they don't want to let shoppers cancel their order so easily when they see a better deal the next day. But make no mistake, they are not Amazon.

Now when it comes to the window at the end of the order offering you cash back on your next order. Come on now, how can you not know what you're signing up for? You know when you pay at a department store, they offer you 10% off your purchase right there if you sign up for a store credit card? Same thing. Never sign up for anything unless you know exactly what you're getting. When you get a free check in the mail (not making this up), do you just cash it? Of course not, check the fine print. When you buy a movie ticket online, and they offer to take a dollar off at the end, do you just check yes? Of course not! Again double check what you're signing up for. It is most likely some sort of membership where you get discount on tickets but for a monthly fee. When you get an email offer for free one month credit monitoring service do you just sign up for it without checking the fine print? Of course not, first month is free, but you sign up for a full year where you pay the other 11 months. I can go on and on. Anyone with any shopping experience knows what's going on.


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## thebayratt (Jun 4, 2009)

Somehow I got on their mailing list, but luckily I moved and I hope they don't find my new address. Although, their catalogs made good tinder when starting bonfires in the backyard. If they ever get my phone number and call me, I am going to slam my finger down so hard to "end call". _Man, I miss flip phones!!_


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## Bizumpy (Nov 14, 2014)

thebayratt said:


> Somehow I got on their mailing list, but luckily I moved and I hope they don't find my new address. Although, their catalogs made good tinder when starting bonfires in the backyard. If they ever get my phone number and call me, I am going to slam my finger down so hard to "end call". _Man, I miss flip phones!!_


Haha I've ordered from all the major online retailers and get a new catalog practically every day


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## Hermit (Aug 5, 2008)

thebayratt said:


> Somehow I got on their mailing list, but luckily I moved and I hope they don't find my new address. Although, their catalogs made good tinder when starting bonfires in the backyard. If they ever get my phone number and call me, I am going to slam my finger down so hard to "end call". _Man, I miss flip phones!!_


They'll find you...people in witness protection still get their Thompson's catalog.


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## elas9394 (Mar 23, 2015)

humm... ok, so Thompson supposed to be a bad website?! 

My first online order ever was placed w/ Thompson, and they emailed me a really good deal after my first order, something like every $25 I spent they added 4 free corona cigars in my order, I spent $100 and received like 40+ cigars, so I thought Thompson was good, but for some reason, they stop emailing me and no catalog ever sent, no matter how many times I updated my contact info, nothing ever came thru, even in spam mail, so I was sad for a while then I found CI and Famous and I moved on. Until today I read this thread.... so I guess I should be glad and appreciate that they dropped me cold turkey just like that huh?! haha


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## Champagne InHand (Sep 14, 2015)

elas9394 said:


> humm... ok, so Thompson supposed to be a bad website?!
> 
> My first online order ever was placed w/ Thompson, and they emailed me a really good deal after my first order, something like every $25 I spent they added 4 free corona cigars in my order, I spent $100 and received like 40+ cigars, so I thought Thompson was good, but for some reason, they stop emailing me and no catalog ever sent, no matter how many times I updated my contact info, nothing ever came thru, even in spam mail, so I was sad for a while then I found CI and Famous and I moved on. Until today I read this thread.... so I guess I should be glad and appreciate that they dropped me cold turkey just like that huh?! haha


Thi was a revived 7 year old thread. Thompson is fine. just big, just like JR and Famous-Smoke. Plenty of places to buy smokes, but The ones listed above are good for 5packs and some boxes. Cigarpage.com and Cigarbid are the ones that will bankrupt you or over fill your storage capacity.


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## HighNoon (Jun 17, 2015)

Sorry to hear about this. I bought some sticks from Thompson a while ago and they were put on back order. I received a call from customer service (or so they said) letting me know they were on back order. I thought, wow, nice personal touch. Next 30 seconds turned into a sales call for a monthly service. suffice it to say I wasn't ready to join up without ever having received any sticks from Thompson yet. I politely told the sales rep 4-5 times no. I am not a believer in being rude on the phone, but I was firm each time. Thompson hasn't received an order from me since. Based on your experience they won't be for a long long time. Too many good purveyors out there to hold on to one who deals like that.

I agree with some of the above - don't sign up unless you know the details. In this day and age there are so many clever marketing strategies sometimes you are better off paying full price and dodging the hidden fine print (unless you have the time to read it).


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## Bizumpy (Nov 14, 2014)

That's so weird, I've never received any calls from them and I've made several orders.


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## HighNoon (Jun 17, 2015)

Maybe because you havent had items on backorder? my order was 3-4 months ago


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## Bizumpy (Nov 14, 2014)

Actually I won something on their auction site and as soon as it closed I got an email saying it was on backorder. Pretty obnoxious, it was shipped a week later. 


But nobody ever called me about it.


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## Champagne InHand (Sep 14, 2015)

Bizumpy said:


> That's so weird, I've never received any calls from them and I've made several orders.


Okay for real, it is like calling Amazon. I don't know if you have had the pleasure of calling a mass distributor like Amazon but really getting transferred all day with no resolution is aggravating. Its very similar at Thompson. If your stuff is backordered, then they usually give you a date they expect to fill the order. It has been the case with all my backorders.

If you want an iPhone 6s in rose gold, it is backordered everywhere. It doesn't mean that your AT&T store, or verizon or even your Apple store are scamming you or servicing you poorly. Demand exceeded expectations and they are churning out as many new rose gold phones as possible. I actually was talking to an ATT person on the phone trying to track down one of these as my daughters 5 broke, and was unusable, but fixable. They refer to the Rose gold 64GB as the pink unicorn.

Being an adult requires understanding and realistic expectations. If you want to pay the least for something then you will give up some customer service. If you want fantastic service buy from small batch or go to the Brick and Mortar where you can see a person that is paid to talk to you and sell you cigars. Most people at Thompson or any other discounted distribution site are processing orders, filing boxes, emptying crates and at a loading dock. Very few people get paid to chat with people, unless its a massive screw up. You just make prices go up asking if your cigars are coming in next month on the 15th, like they sent you in an email. Pre-ordered goods are quite standard in high demand markets.

Sorry if I sound bitchy, but this is reality when profit margins are similar to that of a Costco or Walmart. They run EBITDA (a financial term) of about 4%. Most companies that cater to person run in the 50% area, and can afford to have a more personal touch. Again these are realities for staying in business. If you don't like it, then there are plenty of other places that will sell you cigars. BTW both Thompson and JR send surveys out, as this is a way they can run through a computer to judge how they are doing. If you don't take the time to fill out a survey, then they will not know what they can improve on. Yes they will try to sell you every time as it helps keep them in business, but nobody ever forces you to buy. Don't sign up for any monthly pay option.

Even the car washes here have that endless car wash, if they can take $30 from your checking account monthly. a goo deal for some, but in Winter the wait is about 45-minutes to an hours, and that is serious gas burning and pollution, plus their workers are all suited up, but can only be outside for 15 minute stretches when things are blow freezing.


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